Hands On: Samsung Galaxy Grand 2

It's is a heck of a successor to Samsung's original blockbuster, but can it stand up to competition?

Like it or loathe it, Samsung’s Galaxy Grand was the large-screened Samsung phone for the masses last year, a runaway hit despite its iffy performance and sub-standard display. Clearly, the large-screen-at-a-steal proposition and Samsung’s Galaxy branding worked tremendously in the Grand’s favor for the average Joe looking to buy ‘more for less’. This time around, the landscape is changing, and with a number of budget brands pushing out very compelling models packed with the latest hardware, Samsung’s Galaxy Grand 2 has its task cut out for it if it is to repeat the success of its predecessor. We figure out if it’s got what it takes.

From the looks of it, the Galaxy Grand 2 is through-and-through a Samsung smartphone – the same white façade, the rounded corners and faux chrome lining as its predecessor – heck, we could be describing just about any Samsung Galaxy smartphone out there. Turn it around, and there’s a faux-leather texture (and fake stitching pattern too!) on the Grand 2 similar to the Note 3 – unlike the Note 3 which had a decided leather feel to it, the Grand 2 is very much plastic, only not the glossy variety we’re used to seeing on the Galaxy range. No real points for aesthetics here, but it does provide a better grip than the first gen. The rear panel is removable, giving you access to the battery, both the SIMs and the microSD memory card slot. (Bear in mind, while the Grand 2 doesn't have the "Duos" branding reserved for the company's dual-SIM offerings, it still does support two GSM SIM cards in dual-standby rather than dual-active mode. So you can’t receive a calls on both SIMs simultaneously). One thing we have to say about the done-to-death design though – it is reasonably durable and can take a bit of a licking and keep on ticking.

It’s all in the screen
Now, given that the screen on the Grand was universally regarded as its Achilles Heel, it was in this department where we expected the most improvements. Interestingly, Samsung has managed to fit in a slightly larger 5.2-inch screen while maintaining the same overall profile as the original Galaxy Grand, primarily by thinning out the bezels. This time around, you get a higher-res 1280×720 pixel TFT LCD screen, which is a good bump up but clearly it’s not the more expensive AMOLED type found on Samsung's higher-end phones and quite frankly, we’re a bit spoilt for choice by the full-HD screens on many of today’s competing budget phones. So, despite the fact that colors are rich and text and images are fairly sharp, the Grand 2’s 720p display almost feels like a step back in 2014, a fact that becomes painfully obvious throughout our use of the device. Also, sunlight legibility is rather poor, and there’s no Gorilla Glass protection either – although there’s definitely some sort of scratch resistant coating going on that does a reasonable job of protecting the screen.

Under the hood, the Grand 2 is powered by the quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 400 running at 1.2 GHz with Adreno 305 graphics. This combination is Qualcomm’s mid-range offering, which offers a healthy balance of pure processing and graphics processing and it’s been put to good use in other devices like the Moto G. Sure, devices with these internals aren’t the benchmark that speed freaks would dream about, but they’re not underpowered by any means. On the Grand 2, the Snapdragon 400 is coupled with 1.5GB of RAM, which is powerful enough to yield snappy, fluid and lag-free performance and handles just about any app or game out there, although it’s likely to encounter occasional lag on the newer games. The TouchWise user interface is pretty much the same across Samsung phones – colorful icons, a ton of software features (some of which, like multi-window, work reliably, and others, like Smart Stay eye tracking, that are patently pointless). The Grand 2 runs Android 4.3 rather than the older versions that most budget phones pack, but it’s still not on the latest 4.4 spec. Built-in storage is a little on the lower side at 8GB.

Camera performance is above average, particularly in well-lit conditions, with good amount of detail and decent color reproduction. Of course, the performance drops off as soon as the light wanes and the Grand 2 falls right into the most common trap known to mobile cameras – noise. Videos are shot in full HD and are again good when the light is on your side. Battery life is middling at around 15 hours of heavy use – safe to say you won’t be hunting for a charger until you reach home, even on long work days.

As sequels go, the Grand 2 is a great one, even though the original didn’t exactly set the hardware bar too high. It’s a solid, reliable phone to pick up, one that is supported by a big brand and a widespread service network. It’s not the best bang for the buck though, a theme that’s stuck with us throughout the time we’ve used the device. For someone paying upwards of 22,000, you have options from Lenovo and Nokia for only a little extra, and if that little bit can be stretched to around five grand, a no-compromises Nexus 5 can be had as well. Not to forget the Moto G – pretty much the same hardware but with a smaller screen, which can be picked up for a whole shade less.

What we liked: Good build quality, snappy performance, decent cameraWhat we didn’t: Overpriced, low internal storageKiller Feature: A good processor and 1.5GB of RAMPrice: Rs 22,999